Finally, the Baltic Nations

Riga Food Market

When I lived in Stockholm, I always wanted to visit the neighbor countries such as the Scandinavian nations and Baltic nations. There were cruises between Stockholm and these nations. Even a cruise to Saint Petersburg in Russia is possible without a visa given that we return to our origin by cruise within 72 hours and we remain in Saint Petersburg for our entire stay.

However, I visited only Helsinki by cruise during those days. Somehow I missed the Baltic countries until I left Europe in 2018. This time, I had a chance to fly to Riga, Latvia, during my recent trip to Munich for the GSoC mentor summit. 

Riga is colorful and beautiful. I should have visited these Baltic nations in 2013 when I was staying in Stockholm. Somehow I missed them. But this year, I visited all 3 of them, including day trips to Estonia and Lithuania as well. This was also my first time to visit former USSR countries. Baltic countries have nicely transitioned from USSR to EU. Sometimes in the architecture and environment, I was still able to feel USSR style. I loved Riga and its Black Balsam. Now I have finally managed to visit all the Baltic nations. They are worth the visit. Make sure to keep them in your bucket list!